


Unexpected Jumps

by orphan_account



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-07-28 12:00:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20063674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Five times five jumped on accident and one time he jumped on purpose.





	1. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five jumps from a training session into Grace's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: Implied/Mentioned child abuse

Seven year old Five watched Reginald carefully. The older man double checked the cuffs on his wrists were secured before doing the same with the restraints holding his ankles against the chair. “You’ve been sleeping with your lights on.” Reginald pointed out, straightening his overcoat and stepping back towards the door. “Why’s that Number Five?” Five flexed his hands, nerves spiking. So this is why he got special training today. 

“I’m sorry.” He said automatically. Reginald’s upper lip curled back in annoyance at the lack of answer so Five quickly filled the silence. “I had a nightmare about Ben’s monster. I didn’t want it to be dark.” He knew right away that was the wrong thing to say because Reginald turned on his heel without another word. The door fell shut behind him with a soft click and a second soft click signaled the turning of the lock. 

The room itself wasn’t very large and the concrete walls were barren. There was a single, metal chair bolted down in the middle of the floor which Five was in now. He’d been cuffed to it plenty of times to know if he turned his head just right he’d catch sight of a camera tucked away in the back corner. There were speakers on either side of it where Reginald’s voice would filter through when needs. Above him were two fluorescent lights, they went out at the same time. 

The room was plunged into darkness and Five tensed up completely. He jumped at the crackle of the speakers cutting on. “Control your fear Number Five.” Words Five had heard many times before. “Focus on jumping, not what’s going on around you. The longer you take the closer the monsters get.” Reginald’s voice disappeared and was replaced by the sound of a gate sliding open.  


Five couldn’t help it, his imagination got the better of him and he started thrashing in the chair. The cuffs dug into his skin and he knew he’d be left with bruises and possible cuts to show for it. _ Monsters aren’t real. Monsters aren’t real. _He repeated the mantra over and over, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to jump. Blue energy danced over his hands and up his arms but quickly fizzled out as another sound filled the room. Five froze. 

This one was wet and slimy. It sounded like Ben’s monsters dragging themselves across the floor. His stomach plummeted and the next thing he knew he was sitting in front of Grace, tears sliding down his cheeks. “Oh dear,” She said, setting aside her sewing and reaching out to draw him near. She inspected him for possible injuries, stopping to press soothing kisses to the red marks on his wrists. When she was satisfied he wasn’t badly hurt she pulled him into a tight hug. He quickly returned it, burying his face into Grace’s shoulder. 

He’d done it now. He was only supposed to jump right outside the room. He hadn’t meant to come to Grace but he was just so scared. He could feel her running her hands through his hair and his heart rate slowing. The tears stopped and he sniffed, squeezing her tightly before pulling away. “All better?” She asked, smiling brightly. 

He nodded and she picked up her sewing again, going back to it with a quiet hum. He wanted to hug her again. He wanted to hug her forever and to just stay safe in her arms. Instead he turned and started heading for the stairs to get back to Reginald- the quicker he returned the less trouble he was in. _ No Mom. _ He thought as he turned the corner to see Reginald waiting impatiently, cane tapping on the ground. _ I don’t think it’s going to be ‘all better’ for a very long time. _


	2. Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five jumps from a sibling sleepover to Griddy's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No trigger warnings apply :)

“Dismissed.” The Hargreeves siblings tucked their chairs neatly under the table and headed to the stairs. They climbed them single file and quietly, just like any other day. When they reached the top they dispersed to their rooms in number order. Seven doors shut with quiet clicks but not before seven kids turned to give each other excited grins. After all, today wasn’t just any other day. 

Five’s happiness was prominent as he bounced around the room, pulling on his PJ’s and gathering up his blankets. Reginald was leaving for a three day business trip in just five minutes. That meant three days of only basic training and study time. They’d decided in celebration that tonight they’d be having a slumber party in Diego’s room(Pogo had promised to give fake results for their father’s current sleep study). 

Five did his best to keep himself busy the entire five minutes, tidying up his room and setting out his clothes for tomorrow. Eventually, all there was left to do was wait. Time dragged on as he checked the clock every few seconds until finally- finally- five minutes had passed. There was the faint sound of the car pulling out the long driveway and then seven doors were opening. 

All of them paused to laugh at how in sync they were before crowding into Diego’s room. “Lay the blankets out.” Ben said, designating himself as the director of preparing the room. They did as told, stepping around each other and tangling in each others sheets a few times. Soon enough every inch of visible floor was covered in blankets and pillows. The children all claimed their spots quickly, dropping down into a messy scatter. 

The laughter died down and it was quiet for a moment before Luther spoke, “Ben, could you tell us another story? One of those fairytales?” Ben’s smile widened as he sat up, crossing his legs. The rest of them slid in, circling up around him. 

“Alright, this story is called Verde Prato. There was once a beautiful princess named Nella. Nella is having an affair with a prince who lives many miles away.” Five grinned, tilting his head. Ben always told stories with his whole body, gesturing and taking on the roles of the characters. It definitely made study time more interesting. “To see each other, the couple builds a tunnel made of glass beneath the ground. And every night the prince runs top speed through the tunnel to see Nella.”

“To top it off,” Ben paused for effect, a slow smile spreading across his face as he leaned forward. He threw his arms into the air and shouted out, “The prince runs butt naked!” The seven of them fall into giggles, rolling on top of each other and repeating the words ‘butt naked’ till there were tears in their eyes. 

Too little to late Five recognized the sensation of his stomach dropping. He disappeared from the room with a soft woosh, Griddy’s materializing around him. “Aw damn.” He muttered, a small grin still on his face. “Guess I gotta get everyone doughnuts.” He strolled up to the counter where Agnes was waiting. 

“What can I get for ya?” She asked, eyeing his PJ’s and probably questioning his age. 

“Seven doughnuts please. One powdered, two jelly, one chocolate sprinkles, one boston cream, and two lemon.” He had memorized his siblings orders long ago so it was easy to list them now. 

“Sure thing.” Agnes input it all to the register, totaling it up before turning to grab the doughnuts. “Your parents waiting for you outside?” She asked, glancing over her shoulder. 

“Across the street actually. Getting gas.” The lie rolled smoothly over Five’s tongue and Agnes smiled, finishing up with the last doughnut and sliding them over the counter. 

“Half price. Ten dollars and fifty cents.” Five fished the money out of his pocket and handed it over. She passed him the box, he said a quick thank you and went on his way to rejoin his siblings.  
-  
When Five finally reached the house Klaus was sitting on the front step, a joint in his hand. “Took you long enough.” He called to Five as he started up to join Klaus. “The others got worried and sent me to wait for ya. I needed a smoke anyways. Where’d you land this time?”

“Griddy’s.” Five answered, waving the box. “Put that out and come back inside with me. Ben’s got a story to finish.” Klaus stuck his tongue out at Five but snuffed the joint and tucked it back in his pocket. He stood with a dramatic groan and they headed in together. 

“I got doughnuts!” Five announced loudly when they reentered the room. A cheer erupted from Diego and Vanya while Allison stood to pull him into a quick hug. He hugged her back and then they closed ranks around Ben again. Five distributed the doughnuts to the proper person and the story started up again. 

The rest of the night was filled with giggles, pillow fights, and more stories until they fell asleep. Five was the last to close his eyes and he did so with a smile. His dreams filled him with hope for a better life and he couldn’t help but think that this time it would come.


	3. Anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five jumps from a mission to a new, more personal mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: mentions of blood, implied human trafficking

“Drop the gun.” Five said lowly, assessing the situation as fast as he could. The mission was supposed to be a quick in and out- stop the robbery get back home. When they first entered everything had gone smoothly until the academy found out the thieves had backup. Things had quickly gone south from there as they struggled to keep up with the new amount of guns and weapons. Then there was a scream from the vault and Five hadn’t even hesitated before jumping. 

Upon entering he’d come face to face with a big ole’ hostage situation. Currently the gunman had his weapon trained carefully on a teenage girl, her mother was sobbing in the corner, not helping the situation at all. So here Five was, hands up and voice hard but face emotionless. “Drop the gun.” 

The thief chuckled, a dark and evil sound. “They sending kids to do the fucking dirty work now?” Five had to fight the urge to jump. The man’s finger was balanced carefully on the trigger, already halfway pressed down. There was a high possibility that him jumping would be enough for him to pull it the rest of the way. 

The teen girl was watching Five, eyes wide and wet with tears. She looked a lot like Vanya. “Drop the gun and we can talk.” The thief laughed again. 

“We gave them demands for some money and a getaway car, not a damning kid. Their time is up.” His finger moved, the gun went off, someone screamed, and Five jumped. He landed on top of the man who let out a surprised grunt. That was all he got out before Five landed two hard blows and rendered him unconscious. It was a short fight but not short enough. 

By the time Five turned around and reached the mom and her daughter the girl was lying limp on the floor. Her mom tearfully begged for her to open her eyes but Five could tell it wasn't going to happen. And then the mom is turning towards Five and begging him to do something- screaming at him for not being fast enough. His stomach flips and the world falls apart as his vision blurs. 

Then he’s falling, falling, falling, until his back hits the ground. He only gets a few seconds to realize he isn’t in the bank anymore before distant voices coming closer force him to move. The room he’s in isn’t a room at all. It’s one of the storage bins from an old storage unit that’d been shut down a few months ago. The only place for him to hide was ducked down behind an empty cardboard box.

He could hear muffled cries faintly underneath the loud, demanding voices.. “Shut up or I’m going to make you myself.” A deep voice said, making Five cringe. He’d jumped from one hostage situation to another. He’d already failed to save the first and his first thought was that he couldn’t fail again. 

Slowly he slid forward just enough to peek around the corner of the box. There were three men dragging two struggling girls towards the storage unit opposite of his. The girls had gags tied around their mouths and their hands were bound by zip ties behind their backs. They looked to be a few years older than him and they were both crying. 

When they reached the unit the man not dragging a girl stepped forward and produced a ring of keys. He kneeled down to undo the padlock and shove the metal door open with a screech. Five’s eyes narrowed, inside the unit were at least ten more girls all pressed against the back wall. The two new girls were shoved in to join the ranks and the door was shut once more. 

“I’m sick of this group.” The one locking the door said to the others. “I’m so fucking glad they ship out tomorrow.” He checked that the door wouldn’t open and then the three headed back down the hall. Anger flared up in Five’s chest and his hands balled into fists. He couldn’t fail again. He was moving forward before he realized it, sliding around the door of the unit. 

He kept his footsteps light as he approached the men- all but oblivious- from behind. As soon as he was close enough he dove forward, latching onto the back of the shortest one. There was a shout of surprise that cut off abruptly as Five wrapped his arm around the man’s throat and pressed down. The other two were still registering the situation and not yet big enough threats for him to worry about. He pressed down harder and the man dropped to his knees, eyes rolling back. 

Five only had a few more seconds before he had to let go and duck out of the others grabs. There was more shouting now, echoing loudly off the walls. Five jumped as they lunged for him again and they stumbled forward, just barely catching themselves. He growled lowly and made his next attack, this time on the biggest one. He posed the most threats and he knew if he could take him out of the equation there would be no problem getting rid of the others. 

He dashed forward and let his fist connect with the side of his face, his head snapped to the side from the force. He countered with a punch of his own but Five simply dodged again. It was becoming evident that they had minimal training in hand to hand combat. Five’s next attack was made on the one man he hadn’t yet touched. He brought his elbow back just as he came up behind him, connecting with his nose. 

There was a sharp crack and he cried out, bringing his hands up to try and staunch the flow of blood as it started. Out the corner of his eye Five just barely caught site of his first victim pulling a gun from inside his coat. He blinked as the gun fired and appeared behind him. The second man had his own gun out now, the third was still crying about his nose. Five reached around the man, taking him by surprise and snatching the gun from his hands. He used the butt of the gun to slam down onto his head, dodging another shot from the second gun. 

He brought the gun down on the man one more time and he slumped to the ground unconscious. It only took one more hit to get the third one down too. Another shot rang out as he jumped for the second one, he landed one solid blow before the pain blossomed in his thigh. Forcing himself to ignore it he brought the gun down on the man’s head again. He went down just as easily as the first two and relief rushed into Five’s body. 

He stooped down to get the key ring off the leaders belt and grab the second gun. He emptied both of them before jumping just outside the building. As soon as he touched the ground he knew he’d made a mistake. His thigh burned with a more intense pain and he had to lean on the wall to keep himself up right. Taking a small breath he glanced down, thankful for once that their uniform was made of shorts. 

The bullet had grazed him, leaving a deep cut that was now gushing blood. Five gritted his teeth and forced himself to jump again, focusing on the academy. This time he landed a few blocks away from the building. He cursed himself again as a wave of dizziness washed over him. He estimated he had one more jump left and probably not very far. Instead of using it now he started dragging himself forward, leaving a trail of red behind him, 

When he reached the end of the street he paused. His breathing had grown deeply ragged and he was struggling to stay awake. “Now or never.” He muttered to himself, closing his eyes. He gritted his teeth again to keep from screaming and felt the air ripple around him as he jumped for the last time. 

Finally- finally- he landed himself in the academy. He’d been aiming for his room but it looked like he wasn’t as lucky as he thought because Diego was moving toward him quickly. “Five what the hell?” He asked sharply, looking rather alarmed at the amount of blood. 

“The- the girls- storage unit-” He didn’t get much further than that before he stepped forward and the entire world tilted to the right. There was distant shouting as arms wrapped tightly around him and everything blurred. And then there was nothing.   
-  
“Yeah well, it wasn’t his fault. Dad is not punishing him.”

“He jumped out on a mission, he risked the whole operation.”

“Five wouldn’t do that one purpose. He had a good reason. Do you have any idea how many people he saved?” At that the memories of what happened in the last twenty-four hours came rushing back. How many people had he saved? Not enough. 

“You know I can hear you?” His voice was weak and he felt drowsy. It was a struggle to turn his head and see Ben and Luther standing over him, arguing. Their faces flushed with relief and Ben moved forward to give him an awkward sideways hug. 

“How are you feeling?” He asked, watching him carefully. “Mom said you weren’t supposed to wake up for another few hours.” 

Five ignored Ben’s words and instead asked a question of his own. “Did you go to the storage units? Did Diego tell you?” Luther answered this time. 

“We sent police. Dad said it wasn’t our kind of situation so he hacked the phones to make the call. The girls are safe.” Five closed his eyes and fought back against the tears trying to spill. “What happened? How’d you even know they were out there?”

“I didn’t and I don’t want to talk about it.” He turned his head again, letting whatever pain medicine Grace had given him wash through his veins. Letting the calm settle in his bones. “I need to rest, please, leave me alone.” Ben made a sound like he was going to protest but after that it was silent. Five cracked his eyes open one more time to make sure they were gone before closing them again. 

As sleep slipped in he let himself forget about the girl who’d died. He let the mother’s face slip through his mind. He replaced her screams and sobs with a soft melody of music and a smile tugged at his lips. He couldn’t get so worked up every time someone died under his watch. After all, she was far from the last person that would do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates on Sunday :)


	4. Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben gets hurt on a mission, Five jumps to his room and breaks down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: mentions of blood

“That was…” Allison pauses to take a deep breath. “That was intense.” They’d just completed their fifth mission of the week. Bodies lay scattered around them. Normally they’d leave the scene and head for home but they were exhausted. As soon as the last man had gone down Five and Dieog has dropped to the ground. Luther and Allison were panting and Ben and Klaus were in another room. 

“Dad needs to let us rest.” Diego muttered grumpily, eyes closed. “I feel like I’ve barely-” His words were cut off by Klaus rushing into the room. He was panting too, no doubt as tired as them from finishing off his own guys. 

“Fuck- Ben-” He gasped out, gesturing wildly at the other room. “Hurt.” That’s all it took to get the others moving despite the ache under their skin. Five was the first to reach him, jumping to his side and dropping to his knees. Ben was lying on his side, his body twisted at an odd angle. There was a bullet wound just under his ribs and it was gushing blood. 

“Oh jeez.” Five muttered, flipping him onto his back and pressing down onto the spot. “Oh jeez Ben, hey, it’s okay, you’ll be okay.” Ben’s eyes were already fluttering, staying closed longer and longer each time. “We have to get him to Mom.” He said as the others joined them. 

“Move.” Luther said somewhat roughly, shoving Five to the side. He dropped down and slid one hand under Ben’s knees, the other beneath his neck. 

“You have to keep pressure on the wound!” Five shouted, standing up and pressing his already bloody hands over top the hole once again. Together he and Luther did an awkward shuffle, heading for the back exit of the bank. Police had entered by then and were all over the place, counting dead bodies and criminals. 

By the time they reached the car Ben’s eyes had shut. He would still mutter answers to their questions but his breathing was shallow and uneven. Reginald took one look at Ben and his mouth tightened into a thin line. Besides that he gave no reaction as the kids scrambled into their seats and shut the door. 

\---

“Quickly now.” Grace and Pogo helped Luther load Ben onto a cold metal gurney minutes after they reached the house. Grace took over keeping pressure on the bullet wound and the rest of the kids were left behind as they rushed for the medical wing. 

“Children.” Reginald’s voice was cold as ever and Five felt his hands ball up. Ben’s blood was slick between his fingers as he whirled around. 

“No. Whatever you’re about to say no. I’m waiting for Ben to wake up.” If Reginald was surprised or upset he didn’t let it show. 

“Very well. You children are dismissed then.” He turned on his heel and disappeared towards his office. Five cursed under his breath at him and turned on his heel to follow after Ben, the rest of the academy not far behind.

\---

“It’s been more than an hour.” Allison said glumly. “Can you stop pacing?”   


“No. You think they’d have news by now and yet there’s nothing so it’s either going to be really good or really bad.” Most of the Hargreeves had taken up residence on the floor across from the entrance to the med bay. Diego had opted to stand, twirling one of his knives around his hands. Five had opted to pace his nerves spiking at every small sound. 

He and Luther hadn’t bothered yet to clean up. Ben’s blood was caked on both their shirts and hands and flaked off every time they moved. Five had taken to scratching at it to get it to come off faster. Luther just looked resigned to the mess till he was able to shower. 

“Five, sit-” Allsion never got to finish before the door was opening and Pogo was stepping out. He was dressed in scrubs, the rubber gloves on his hands slick with blood. Five couldn’t read his expression which did nothing to ease the mounting panic in his chest. 

“He’s stable.” Pogo said, but there was a grim tone to his voice. “But,” Five tensed, there it was. “He is in a coma. We expect him to wake but we can’t be sure just yet.” Suddenly all the kids were talking at once, each trying to be louder than the last. 

“You can’t be sure-”

“He’s not going to die-” 

“Is Mom coming-”

All of the voices melded together in Five’s head as he backed away from the group. His mouth was open slightly as if he had something to say but couldn’t get the words out. His chest tightened and his stomach did a familiar flip. He didn’t get to hear anything else as the floor dropped from under his feet and resolidified seconds later. 

He was in Ben’s room, the door was cracked open and the hall light filtered in but either than that it was dark. The tightness in Five’s chest didn’t disappear as he staggered towards the bed and dropped down onto the edge. He buried his face in his hands and the sobbing started. They racked through his entire body, making him shake and gasp for air. 

He wasn’t sure how long he was there. A few minutes- maybe an hour. It didn’t matter. No one came for him. No one was worried about where he went. And it’d be a long time before he realized that was why Ben was in a coma now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm one week behind with updates! My apologies but school work was kicking my butt. I am currently tracking hurricane Dorian as there is a possible chance we could be hit. Hopefully this doesn't stall my updates any further but I will let you know. Only two chapters left!


	5. Nervousness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five jumps from an interview that gets uncomfortable to the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little late posting but I hope you enjoy! I'm working on some new stuff as well since there's only one chapter left of this one! Stay tuned :)

“And now we’d like to welcome The Umbrella Academy to our studio for an all exclusive interview!” The kids filed onto the small studio stage, glaring against the bright lights as the crowd erupted into cheers. It wasn’t a big crowd but even so the noise was deafening. They dropped into the six extra chairs, a microphone gripped in each of their hands.    


“Hi. Thanks for having us.” Luther said with a bright smile, ever the leader, ever the most compliant. 

“Thanks for coming.” The interviewer- Five was pretty sure her name was Anna- fired back. He could have spotted the fakeness of her smile a mile away let alone how it dripped from her tone. He wasn’t the only one, Diego was tense in his seat and Ben couldn’t stop moving. “Our first question is for Allison, what’s it like growing up in a house full of boys?” Allison’s smile never wavered but Five knew the look in her eyes. They all wore it- dead and expressionless. It was the same routine as always and Allison launched into her mouthful of funny stories and complaints. Five let himself zone out. 

Instead of paying attention he started picking out faces in the crowd, imagining what a regular day would be for them. There was a woman who was worn down from long nights in the hospital but who smiled all the same. A man who sported a hello kitty band aid on his forearm and would be tucking in his daughter later that night. He caught the eye of one little boy and shot him a smile. The boy lit up and tugged excitedly on his mother’s sleeve while Five averted his gaze. 

They were all different. All their own person. But they all wore the same look of hope on their faces. They all had the same soft smile as their eyes danced over the six kids in front of them. The six superheroes making the world an easier place to sleep. “Five? Five are you with us?” He was drawn back into the interview with a sharp elbow in the ribs from Klaus. “What? Huh?” “The lady asked you a question.” Klaus pointed out helpfully as the audience chuckled at his spacing out. “How’s it feel when you teleport?” Five sat up straighter, bringing his microphone to his lips.  “Oh uh, well, my stomach kind of flips. There’s a pinch behind my nose, the floor drops from under me and sometimes I get a headache afterwards.” Anna nodded along as Five spoke. When he finished she fired off a follow up question.  


“You make it sound so easy. What kind of training regime do you follow?” This time Five launched into his usual spiel about physical fitness and mental awareness. When he finished Anna didn’t relent, asking yet another question. Only this time, the question caught him off guard.  “So if you have all this training and it’s so easy to jump, tell me, why’d you lose three people in the fire last week?” Five’s mouth dropped open. He wasn’t the only one in shock, the rest of his siblings head’s all swiveled to the side where Reginald was standing. Five forced his own gaze over to the man and he just tipped his chin. Normally he’d step in with questions like this but it was different now. Reginald wanted Five to face up to his mistake. In front of a live studio audience.  “I- uh- it wasn’t-” He stammered into the microphone, struggling for the words.  “I’m just wondering. You make it such a simple in and out. What was different?” “I just-” Sweat had bloomed across Five’s brow and his throat was suddenly unbearably dry. “I only wanted-” He felt his stomach flip at the same time the tears welled up in his eyes. “Sorry.” He choked out before disappearing in a flash of blue. 

The landing was easy as ever this time. It was almost like he never even left the chair. He was still sitting, only this time at a table in the library. Back at the academy. He had some time before the others got back so he stood and headed for the very last row of shelves. He walked all the way to the last one and kneeled down. In the very bottom cubby, in the very right hand corner- were Ben’s fairytale books.  He swiped one now, choosing _Beauty and the Beast_, before padding over to the more comfy section. He dropped down onto one of the plush chairs and pulled his legs up to sit criss cross. He flipped the book open to page one and started reading, getting lost in Tiana’s world. 

\---

Five was three fourths of the way through his book when the library door slammed open. It was Allison, panting and wide eyed. He raised his eyebrows at her as she shut the door and hurried over to him. “Dad’s coming soon. I rushed ahead and told him I had girl stuff to take care of but he’s coming.” 

Five shrugged. “What’d you do that for? He’s gonna find me anyways.” She nodded, her curls bouncing. Before Five could protest she’d reached forward and took his right hand in between both of hers. 

“I wanted you to know, Anna Seiems? The interviewer? I looked her up, she’s one of those asshole interviewers. Dad knew that, he knew she’d ask one of us something shitty like that and he still sent us. He wanted this to happen. What happened last week? Not your fault. And I know it’s bothering you because you jumped. And apologized. On live TV.” 

That got just a hint of a smile from Five. “Well, thanks for telling me I guess. I think I’ll just hide from Dad till bedtime. This place is so big all I have to do is keep jumping around.” He paused, Allison’s eyes were glistening. “I’ll be okay. Promise.” She squeezed his hand once and nodded before turning on her heel and marching back out the library.

Five jumped, letting himself land on the top of one of the tall shelves. He leaned back and opened his book again, picking up where he left off. He let himself get lost in the book, forgetting he even existed as Number Five. He was the Beast and he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to fall for Belle and save his subjects. As he neared the end of the book a voice in the back of his head piped up- a voice he didn’t want to hear at the moment. Reginald’s. 

_ _ _ I’ll be damned if you don’t play your part and save the world. It is your job- _

_ _ “My only job right now is to read these books.” He muttered to himself, snatching up the next one-  _ Snow White and the Seven Dwarves _ . The cycle continued for a long time- Five lost himself in book after book. Eventually the hopeful faces of his subjects, his princesses- morphed into the faces of the audience. He closed his eyes in the middle of a sentence about Cinderella. Hope. The one thing each and every one of them had in common. And he’ll be damned if he wasn’t going to keep it that way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates next Sunday for the final chapter!!


	6. Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five jumps to the apocalypse

The children are ready when the lunch bell rings, each used to the schedule by now. So it doesn’t take them long to file into the dining room and behind their chairs. Grace shoots them a smile as she leaves the room and Reginald enters. He waits for a pause in the record that’s playing before gesturing to the meal. “Seats!” He demands loudly and seconds later chairs are scraping against the floor as they all pull them out to sit. 

They start digging in, the record continues, filling the silence. But there’s something heavier in the air today and it’s not the fact that Klaus is rolling a joint under the table. Vanya’s eyes are drawn to five who’s glaring pointedly at Reginald, twisting his knife around in his hand. She’s about to clear her throat when Five brings the knife up and slams it down into the table. It buried deep into the wood and stays there, sticking straight up.

“Number Five?” Reginald’s tone takes on one of question as everyone comes to a stop, eyes raising to look at the boy. 

“I have a question.” Five said simply, folding his hands in front of him. 

“Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules. No talking during mealtime.” Five sets his jaw at Reginald’s reminder and everyone else goes silently back to their food. “You are interrupting Herr Carlson.” Five shakes his head and stands up, his chair scraping across the floor again. Everyone continues eating as normal but Vanya’s glancing up every now and then. There’s no way this ends well. 

“I want to time travel.” Five puts emphasis on the word want but Reginald’s answer comes in seconds. 

“No.” 

“But I’m ready.” Five argues. “I’ve been practicing my spatial jumps, just like you said.” He brings his fists up to his hips and disappears from Vanya’s side, reappearing at Reginald’s a moment later. “See?”

Reginald doesn’t look up. “A spatial jump is trivial when compared with the unknowns of time travel. One is like sliding along the ice, the other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn.” 

“Well, I don’t get it.”

“Hence the reason you are not ready.” 

“I’m not afraid.”

“Fear is not the issue. The effects it might have on your body, even on your mind, are far to unpredictable.” He shifts just slightly and finally turns his gaze to meet Five’s eyes. His voice pitches up in tone. “Now, I forbid you from talking about this any further.” 

The silence that followed was suffocating. Vanya had stopped eating and Five met her gaze. She had her head tilted down but she was looking at him. He tilted his head just slightly to the side and she gave the smallest shake of her head. Their own secret language. Five just wasn’t going to listen to it right now. 

He turned on his heel and started towards the door. He heard silverware clatter behind him and Reginald shouting. “Number Five! You haven’t been excused! Come back here!” Fat chance. He shoved through the front door letting it slam behind him. The gate swung open easily and he turned, making his way down the sidewalk. 

He could do it. He was going to do it. Reginald was wrong. About him. About everything. With a soft grunt he balled his hands into fists and and shoved through Summer straight into Fall. A grin broke out across his face and with a scoff he jumped again, this time landing in Winter. 

“Not ready my ass.” He muttered to himself, pride swelling in his chest. This was going to blow Reginald’s mind. This was going to be life changing- for all of them. He shook his head with a laugh and jumped for the third time. He’d expected to go back to Summer- he expected to go back to his family. 

Instead he was in a wasteland. The air was thick with the smell of smoke, ash floated around him, all and any buildings had been destroyed, and there wasn’t another person in sight. He slowed to a stop, his grin morphing into a confused frown. “No.” He breathed, taking a step back before turning and breaking into a run. 

He slid to a stop in front of the academy. It was gone. Destroyed. The only recognizable part was the logo on the gate, swinging lazily in the light breeze. “Vanya?” He shouted, though he had no hope of her responding. Panic replaced the pride he’d felt moments ago and buried deep into his bones. “Ben? Dad?” He stepped forward, stumbling slightly on the uneven ground. “Anyone?”

The wind picked up and he turned his back on his destroyed home. His hands balled up yet again. Blue electricity appeared over his knuckles as he grunted and tried to jump. Nothing happened except the air around his hands warping slightly. “Come on.” His voice cracked as tears started welling up. “Shit.” Nothing was happening. He was trapped. 

Defeated, he turned slowly, dropping onto his knees. The debris dug into his skin but he didn’t care. He let his arms hang limp at his sides, mouth half open and feeling numb. Dad was right. He wasn’t ready. He shouldn’t have time travelled. He shouldn’t have let his pride grow bigger than his caution. 

Vanya- Vanya had tried to warn him. He should have listened. He should have- he should have- he should have. None of it mattered now. None of it would change what he’d done. Who he’d abandoned. His eyes fell closed and his siblings faces flew through his mind. “I’m coming back.” He whispered tearfully. “I promise I’m coming back.” And there was nothing- in heaven, hell, nor Earth- that would stop him from keeping that promise. He’d already broken one too many.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus comes our conclusion! Hopefully you enjoyed the story. New content to come soon :)


End file.
